Without you
by fascinated
Summary: Sakura is changing and findind her true pace in the shinnobi world. In doing so, she's also findind new friend and a family of her own.NXS friendship. I don't own Naruto, or the lyrics of Without You by Hinder


Without you

I just wanna be alone tonight  
I just wanna take a little breather  
Cause lately all we do is fight  
And every time it cuts me deeper

The breeze was softly passing through the leaves in the trees and the hairs of the young girl sitting on a bench. She had just returned from a mission with her team, a mission where she was a burden like she always was as Sasuke-kun always told her. _No, no more Sasuke-kun!I've to make a choice! Do I really want to stay obsessed with a boy who find me weak and useless or do I want to be strong, and be able to defend myself and make my friends, my team, my teacher and I proud?_ This girl was Haruno Sakura, easily recognizable by her bubble-gum hair and green eyes. She was thinking about her future, and how it was time to grow up because having beautiful hair wasn't going to save her in a mission, on the contrary it was only bothering her and taking precious time caring about it when she should be training because after all wasn't she a kunoichi?

Cause something's changed  
You've been acting so strange  
And its taking its toll on me  
It's safe to say that I'm ready to let you leave

So the kunoichi, having finally madding up her mind, went to the busy market street where the only hairdresser of the city was, and asked for a new cut. A cut to reflect her new nindo: **I won't be a burden anymore! I'm gonna be strong to help people.** The hairstylist cut and cut and cut the long rosette hair and at last, when it was down to her chin did she ask him to stop. After paying and thanking him profusely, Sakura went to the shop on her right to buy herself a new wardrobe. A wardrobe practical and not eye-catching like her red, red robe. So inside she went and instead of going to the colored items where, she went to the black section and bought herself a short that went to mid-tight and a sleeveless shirt. She also bought boots that went to her knees. Once she was satisfied with her purchases, Sakura thought that it was time to take in hand her very basic training and work a lot more instead of chasing boys( or more precisely a boy) and doing shopping.

Without you, I live it up a little more everyday  
Without you, I'm see in myself so differently  
I didn't wanna believe it then  
But it all worked out in the end  
When I watched you walk away  
Well I never thought id say  
I'm fine  
Without you

A month went and come, then a second after it, and never once did Sakura stray from her new mindset. She worked harder than ever, discovering that with her excellent chakra control she ought to study medical techniques. She also forced herself to treat Naruto better since she has been nothing but a pest to him when he only wanted her friendship, and by doing so discovered what a wonderful, loyal and true friend he could be, even if sometimes immature( well more like always, but it was part of his charm!). Since she trained a lot more, she also meet new people, and more precisely Team Gai, with whom she made strong bond because like her, they worked hard, I mean look at their sensei!! And Ten-Ten, Lee and sometimes Neji after he saw that she was serious in her training, were always there to help her if she had difficulties. Her teamwork also improved since she was no longer trailing Sasuke like a puppy, and working hard to catch up with her backwardness. Seeing that Kakashi was more prone to teach her jutsu, or give her medical books.

Called you up cause' it's been long enough  
And you said that you were so much better  
We have done a lot of growing up  
We were never meant to be together

After a few weeks of training, Sakura made up her mind and at the end of a particularly gruesome training, she went to Sasuke and asked if it was possible to speak with him. Sasuke was wary at first, wondering if she was back to being a fan girl, but not seeing heart in her eyes like before he reluctantly accepted her offer. They went to teashop and sat on a booth in the corner to be left alone. They both placed her order and then Sakura took a deep breath before apologizing.

Cause something changed, you were acting so strange  
And it's taken its toll on me  
It's safe to say that I'm ready to let you leave

Sakura:"I'm sorry Sasuke, really sorry. My behavior back then was nothing short of shameful and it's true that I was not fitted to be a ninja, but I'm doing everything in my power to change that. Sasuke, it's the last thing I'm going to ask of you…could you forgive me for it, so that I can truly turn the page on this shameful behavior of mine, so that I can forget it and forgive myself for not having enough self-esteem?"

Sasuke was taken aback; it wasn't anything he thought it would be. He thought that she would ask him to go out with him now that she wasn't a burden anymore, and he would have been sorry because he quite liked this new side of his teammate. But if this was what she deemed necessary, he would grant her that because she was proving to be a true friend like Naruto before her, and there were forming a family with Kakashi as a father-figure and Naruto as his heart-brother and Sakura as their baby sister.

Sasuke:"hn, okay"

Sakura:" Arigato Sasuke-nii"

That was the first time she called him that, but liked he just thought that was also true, he was her brother.

Without you, I live it up a little more everyday  
Without you, I'm see in myself so differently  
I didn't wanna believe it then  
But it all worked out in the end  
When I watched you walk away  
Well I never thought id say  
I'm fine  
Without you

And so, after this discussion, Naruto and Sasuke became officially Sakura's brothers, and by doing so a lot more protective of her. That's why they didn't like it when she went to train with Team Gai after her training with her own team. After all they reasoned she was THEIR teammate. But nothing they said could change her mind. Team Gai was also her family but differently, Ten-Ten was a big sister always taking care of her and teaching her weapon moves, Lee was like her crazy cousin and thus Gai was her crazy uncle and Neji… Neji was her best friend. Always there for her, helping her improving, giving her advices, saving her from Lee craziness like she was there for him when the life in the Hyuuga compound was too difficult, when the expectation his uncle had for him were too hard, or when he injured himself she was there to tend to him. Therefore it wasn't unusual to see them together enjoying a stroll after a training session, or grabbing lunch between the training with her team and the training with Team Gai, or playing Shogi to keep their mind sharp.

Cause something changed, you were acting so strange  
And it's taken its toll on me  
It's safe to say that I'm ready to let you leave

And so, a few months after this fateful day when Sakura made up her mind to become a true kunoichi, she was finally truly happy with a lot of friend and bit happy family, if not slightly disfunctionnal, after all who had 2 brothers who hate each other gut and always went at each other throat? Who had a father figure who read porn in broad day light? Who had an "uncle" and a "cousin" who wore green spandex proudly? Who had a sister who was a weapon mistress and was enjoying teaching you how to cut enemies in the more efficiently way? Moreover, who had a best friend for which you weren't entirely sure you had only friendly feeling for?

Without you, I live it up a little more everyday  
Without you, I'm see in myself so differently  
I didn't wanna believe it then  
But it all worked out in the end  
When I watched you walk away  
Well I never thought id say  
I'm fine,  
Without you  
Without you  
Without you  
Without you  
I just wanna be alone tonight,  
I just wanna take a little breather.


End file.
